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Candidates for the Massachusetts 5th District Congressional seat in the 2013 special election, left to right: State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, State Sen. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, of Waltham, State Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Medford, and State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland.

With just over two weeks to go until voters select their general election candidates for the 5th District congressional seat, the candidates are participating in forums, answering questionnaires, reaching out to voters and advertising.

On the Democratic side, the candidates competing in the Oct. 15 primary are: Middlesex Co. Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, state Sen. Karen Spilka, state Sen. Katherine Clark, state Sen. Will Brownsberger, state Rep. Carl Sciortino, Martin Long and Paul Maisano. Competing as Republicans are Tom Tierney, Mike Stopa and Frank Addivinola.

Here’s a roundup of a few recent developments in the race.

Election Reforms

The open government non-profit Common Cause released the results of its questionnaire on election law. It found that six of the Democrats – all but Brownsberger - agree with the group on several proposed election reforms. Of the Republicans, only Tierney responded to the questionnaire.

One of Brownsberger’s major disagreements with the other Democrats is his support for the 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case allowing corporations to make unlimited political expenditures. While the other six Democrats support a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United, Brownsberger believes overturning Citizens United means abridging First Amendment rights. “In our country, political advocates should never have to consult their lawyers to determine whether they can communicate their thoughts without risk of prosecution and incarceration,” Brownsberger wrote on the questionnaire. Tierney also opposes an amendment, saying Congress should not regulate independent expenditures.

All the candidates support the DISCLOSE Act, a bill that would require all donations by corporations and independent groups be publicly disclosed.

The questionnaire found Brownsberger breaking with the other Democrats in other areas as well. Asked whether they would support a model of citizen-funded elections pushed by Common Cause, which would give candidates public funds if they only accept donations of less than $100, all the Democrats but Brownsberger said yes. Brownsberger said he is unsure how the idea would work in practice. Tierney opposed it.

The other six Democrats and Tierney also agreed to support legislation preventing 501(c)(4) social welfare groups from engaging in substantial political activity. The groups currently spend significant sums on issue advocacy influencing elections. Brownsberger wrote, “We do want to reduce abuse of tax-exempt status, but given the complexities of how organizations can interrelate I’m not sure what the right solution is.”

All seven Democrats agreed on support for the Voter Empowerment Act, which includes numerous reforms aimed at making voting easier, such as requiring states to offer online voter registration and mandating that states have same-day voter registration. All seven support reinstating a provision of the Voting Rights Act, which was struck down by the Supreme Court, requiring states with a history of civil rights violations to get federal permission before changing their voting laws. The Democrats would reinstate that rule with an updated formula. Tierney opposes both proposals.

Endorsements

Despite his hesitancy in embracing Common Cause’s positions, Brownsberger has positioned himself as a candidate focused on government reform. He is the only candidate who says he would refuse to take money from political action committees and lobbyists. Last week, Brownsberger secured support from former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. Harshbarger is a former president and CEO of Common Cause, who has been an advocate for open government.

“(Brownsberger) is a person of great integrity, who will listen, who will talk with you, who will do the right thing, be independent but principled and represent you well," Harshbarger said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the current attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley spent time on Saturday stumping for Clark, who Coakley endorsed this summer. Clark, who has focused her campaign on women’s issues, also picked up the recent endorsement of EMILY’s List, a national group that helps female, pro-choice, Democratic candidates.

Koutoujian also got some female backing in the form of Betsy Myers, a speaker and author on topics relating to leadership. Myers launched the White House Office of Women’s Initiatives and Outreach under former Democratic president Bill Clinton. “Times have changed since then but the important issues are exactly the same: defending a woman’s right to choose, demanding equal pay for equal work, and ending violence against women,” Myers wrote in an email to Koutoujian supporters.

Myers said she supports Koutoujian because of his record on women’s issues. She noted in her email that Koutoujian sits on the board of an anti-domestic violence group and supported bills in the State House that helped victims of sexual assault and stalking.

Myers, who is a founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, also chaired Democratic President Barack Obama’s “Women for Obama” coalition.

Koutoujian also announced support Monday from former State Senator Warren Tolman. The two will campaign together in Watertown and Cambridge .

Ads

Koutoujian released his first television ad, which shows Koutoujian surrounded by his family, and highlights his support for reducing gun violence, protecting women’s rights, and safeguarding Social Security and Medicare.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which supports Sciortino, recently released polling numbers showing Sciortino’s support growing among those who saw the ad, which featured Sciortino, who is openly gay, “coming out” to his conservative father as a liberal Democrat.

Sciortino’s campaign said its fundraising has picked up since the ad came out, and he raised $178,000 from 3,600 people in a little over a week. Sciortino’s campaign said last week that it had raised $263,000 in the fundraising quarter that began July 1. The candidates’ pre-primary fundraising reports are due to the Federal Election Commission this week.